(a) Field
The present invention relates to a screen mask for a screen printer.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A flat panel display is manufactured, in part, by forming a function layer for performing various functions on a substrate.
The function layer is manufactured through a thin-film process and a thick-film process, and a thick film may be formed by a screen printing process, a sandblast process, or a dry film process.
The screen printing process has good production efficiency and low processing cost, so it is widely used when high precision is not needed.
To form a fine pattern using the screen printing process, a mask with the same pattern as a pattern to be formed on the substrate is arranged on the substrate, and a source material is printed according to the pattern on the substrate, thereby forming a desired pattern.
After the mask is initially manufactured, a necessary amount of the mask is cut and it is attached or assembled to a mask frame to be used for the screen printing process.
In general, the mask frame to which the mask is attached is manufactured to be a high-precision, fixed body.
Therefore, when the mask is attached to the mask frame, it is generally impossible to increase or decrease the tensile force applied to the mask. If the mask is erroneously attached to the mask frame, the used mask is either detached from the mask frame and attached again thereto or the mask is discarded. Further, the size, uniformity, and position of an opening in the mask can be changed during the screen printing process, requiring the mask be reattached to the mask frame or discarded.
FIG. 5 shows a top plan view of a conventional screen mask used to print a screen. Here, the screen mask 1 includes a mask 3 on which a pattern is formed and a frame 2 to which the mask 3 is attached and supported by, and the tensile force is typically not added to or subtracted from the mask 3 once it is attached to the frame 2.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.